Educating Adopters Will Help More Pets

While I have discussed shelter adoption policies over the that last few weeks, both in my column and in my blog, it is not without admiration for the work being done by shelters. I have worked at animal shelters and know first-hand the frustrations of staff. Having to deal with the abused, the abandoned, and the neglected can make anyone distrust a potential adopter. The fear of not wanting an animal to go to a bad home can be gripping and overwhelming. The work is difficult and the only reward (because it’s not money I promise you) is the satisfaction that you have done right by an animal. There is no worse feeling than to know an animal adopted from your shelter has gone to a bad home. And it can happen. In spite of the applicant interview and a certain amount of reliance on gut instinct, a good dog or cat can go to a bad home. You always hope and pray you have made the right decision.

This summer, an elderly women in New York left her dog outside in the summer heat and he died. The dog had been adopted from a local shelter. The shelter felt awful for adopting this dog to this women, and as a result probably had a protective surge for a few days, being especially aware of potential adopters. I felt bad for the dog not because she had entered a neglectful home but because she went to an uneducated adopter. I am not saying the women didn’t know the dog could die in the heat; I am saying she probably didn’t do it intentionally. I think neglect is more prevalent than abuse and that it comes from people not understanding some basic care for animals.

We can do a lot at the adoption table to prepare people for their potential pets — and we can make them better adopters in the long run. A scared and nippy dog would make a poor pet for family with young children, but this fact doesn’t make this family a poor candidate for adoption. They simply must be directed towards a more appropriate dog for their household. That is what it comes down too: Finding the right pet for the right household.

On a previous blog about pitbulls, a reader said that he didn’t think pitbulls were good pets in homes with children. I agree. While there are good pit bulls and while there are good pit bulls living in homes with kids, I would be hard put as an adoption counselor to adopt this breed into a home with kids. In this case, my concerns would be for the children. As the reader accurately notes, there are lots of dogs that are bred to be gentle.

So it all comes down to making good matches, educating adopters (and not turning potentially great adopters away because they didn’t exactly fit the mold), and finding some balance in all this. It’s important for shelters to look after their charges, but they also want to attract people to adopt, otherwise they can’t save as many lives. So it calls for an understanding of the pet and the adopter. We need the adopter if we are going to find good homes for unwanted pets.

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About the Author

Cathy M. Rosenthal has more than 25 years of experience in public relations, communications and humane education in the animal welfare field. She has worked for local humane societies and national humane groups, appearing on hundreds of television and radio news and public affairs programs to address animal issues. She currently is a consultant for local and national animal welfare organizations, writing grants, annual reports and other marketing materials. She is also the author of several children's books about animals.